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Friday, December 30, 2016

One of the things we're most proud of at The Trailer Showroom, other than producing high-quality cargo trailers, is fostering an American industry and manufacturing our products right here in the USA.

Our cargo trailers are manufactured in one of our five American facilities: Elkhart, Indiana; Waco, Texas; McGregor, Texas; Eugene, Oregon and Douglas, Georgia. When you order one of our cargo trailers, you're helping support an American, veteran-owned business and helping create the need for manufacturing jobs in our country.

Here are just a few more reasons to consider American-made when it comes to choosing a cargo trailer company:

1. Protecting the Environment - Products that are manufactured overseas have to travel a long way to end up in our country. Usually these products have to be shipped across oceans, burning fossil fuels and emitting greenhouse gases along the way. When you buy domestic products, you help reduce manufacturing's carbon footprint by reducing the need for transportation resources. Also, factories overseas don't always have the most environmentally-friendly regulations. One of the main reasons it's cheaper to manufacture goods is less developed countries is because of the lack of regulations to protect the air, soil and water. American factories are more strictly regulated to help protect the environment; in fact, there are U.S. government agencies designed specifically for that purpose.

2. Protecting Human Rights - In addition to less restrictive manufacturing regulations, some countries have more dangerous working conditions than American facilities. According to a 2015 report from The Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights, Chinese workers in a Guangdong factory who were producing toys for American consumers worked 12- to 13-hour shifts and had to sleep in dirty, cold and hazardous dormitories. Just by speaking out against these conditions, the workers and labor activists faced the risk of being arrested or worse.

While not all foreign countries have such deplorable standards in manufacturing, stories like these certainly force us to consider where our products come from and under what type of conditions they're made.

3. Protecting our Health - Weak environmental and safety regulations abroad can have its affect on consumers here in the US. In 2007, dozens of types of toys made in China were recalled after being identified as unsafe due to toxic materials (like lead and kerosene) being used in their manufacturing, according to a report from the New York Times. While this was nearly a decade ago, the way the numbers are moving doesn't suggest things will improve in the future. According to the NYT, in 2007, China was responsible for 60% of all product recalls in the US, up drastically from 36% in 2000.

Again, we know that not all foreign countries follow China's pattern of unsafe manufacturing. In fact, we're sure there are many quality-made goods coming from other parts of the world. However, buying products that are made in your own country isn't just about staying safe. It's also about helping businesses grow in your community, which in turn helps improve the standard of living for your neighbors, which helps stimulate the local economy and can even give the next generation hope for good jobs and a stable economy in the future.

We hope you will keep all of this in mind when shopping for your customized cargo trailer. Please feel free to browse our website to see our selection of trailers and reach out to us with any questions: 1-877-458-7245